Japanese Products for New Year

Shogatsu (New Year Days)

Sho of Shogatsu (New Year Days) means To do the right thing or To set things in place. On the first morning of the New Year Days, people celebrate and exchange greetings with others, saying Happy New Year. For New Year Holidays, houses and entrance gates are decorated with ornaments of Kadomatsu, made of pine, bamboo and plum trees to greet god of crops, straw ropes to pray for safety and good health by hanging a small wooden plate, saying Warauˇˇkado or Fortunes comes in at the merry gate, Sominshorai or May God expel bad luck or evil spirits Hagoita, or a wooden shuttlecock paddle for fortune–telling and driving evils away, and so forth. Thus, here are currently popular ornaments of wishing for a happy new year. Why not making the new year of 2007 very happy for you?

Kissho Paintings

Kissho Paintings are ones that are painted with the meanings of Good luck omen or happiness, which has long been supposed to be accomplished by praying for good luck. Here are some illustrations suitable for a new year, wishing for a happy and bright year, with Kissho coming in,ˇˇdepicted in the joyful paintings of Bringing in good fortunes and incoming happiness.